Baked Pasta with Sausage, Tomatoes & Cheese

by Anne Bennett on September 6, 2016

I miss the cheesy, creamy pasta casseroles I used to make when the kids were young. Twenty-five years ago one of their favorites was chicken spaghetti, a gooey conglomeration of chicken and pasta held together with that miracle of 1950’s cooking, Campbell’s cream of mushroom soup, and a mountain of shredded cheddar cheese. I recently made the Pioneer Woman’s recipe for our grandson, Thomas, and it took me back to those good old days. Delicious? Do you even have to ask?

But here’s why I won’t make it again: I figured out that one serving of chicken spaghetti will set you back 18 Weight Watcher Points. Yowza!

How can we get our pasta casserole fix without breaking the calorie/fat/guilt bank? It’s doable, believe me. Here’s an example that I’ve adapted from Cooking Light. It’s very similar to a recipe from my childhood, my mom’s Mock Ravioli. I followed Mom’s advice and dialed down the pasta to 12 oz. instead of Cooking Light’s one pound. I also added frozen, thawed spinach, which makes this more veggie-centric and ravioli-like. You can make this with or without the spinach. Either way, it represents lighter — and healthier — pasta comfort food, emphasis on comfort.

Remove casings from sausage. Cook sausage, onion and garlic in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until browned, stirring to crumble. Add tomato paste, salt, pepper, tomatoes and spinach and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season to taste with more salt and pepper if needed.

Coat a 4-qt. baking dish with cooking spray. Add half of pasta to dish and cover with half tomato/spinach mixture. Top with half of mozzarella and half of Parmesan. Repeat layers. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until bubbly.